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Benny Chan Muk-sing (simplified Chinese: 陈木胜; traditional Chinese: 陳木勝; pinyin: Chén Mùshèng; 24 October 1961[1] – 23 August 2020[2]) was a Hong Kong filmmaker.[3]
Benny Chan | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Chan in 2019 | |||||||||||
| Born | 24 October 1961 | ||||||||||
| Died | 23 August 2020 (aged 58) Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, Wan Chai, Hong Kong | ||||||||||
| Occupations | |||||||||||
| Years active | 1981–2020 | ||||||||||
| Notable work | Full list | ||||||||||
| Awards | Full list | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 陳木勝 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 陈木胜 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
Chan was nominated for Best Director six times at the Hong Kong Film Awards, include Big Bullet, Heroic Duo, New Police Story, Connected, The White Storm and Raging Fire. His last film, Raging Fire, posthumously earned him Best Director award at the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards and the film went on to win Best Film award at the ceremony.[4][5]
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Born and raised in Kowloon, Benny Chan first accepted a job in 1981 at Rediffusion Television working in continuity.[6] The following year, he joined TVB, becoming a production assistant to Johnnie To.[7][8] By 1985, Chan had worked his way up to being a television director, co-directing television series like The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain (1985).[8] In addition to directing most of the episodes of The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain, he also wrote the scripts for all 40 episodes.[9] Chan had gained experience as an executive director for a couple of films between 1987 and 1988, and had also directed and produced a few television series for Asia Television in 1989.[6]
Chan's debut as a film director began with A Moment of Romance (1990), which was produced by To.[6][10] During the 1990s, he directed films like Big Bullet (1996), Who Am I? (1998), and Gen-X Cops (1999). For his work on Big Bullet, which he co-wrote, directed, and produced,[11] Chan was nominated for Best Director at the 1997 Hong Kong Film Awards.[6] The film also won awards for Best Film Editing at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and the 1996 Golden Horse Film Festival.[7][12] He also continued to work in television, directing episodes of the 1995 adaptation of Fist of Fury starring Donnie Yen.[7][6]
Working in exclusively the film industry since 1998's Who Am I?,[6] Chan continued to work on various projects. Since Who Am I?, he continued to direct more of Jackie Chan's movies, such as New Police Story (2004), Rob-B-Hood (2006), and Shaolin (2011).[7] He also directed Heroic Duo (2003), Divergence (2005), Connected (2008), and The White Storm (2013).[6][8] Prior to his death, Chan was working on Raging Fire, which he gave to a colleague to complete post-production work after his cancer diagnosis.[11]
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In 2019, Chan was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer after feeling unwell while working on Raging Fire.[11][8] During the last few months of his life, he was hospitalized at Prince of Wales Hospital.[6]
On 23 August 2020, Chan died at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.[13]
Feature film
| Year | Film | Credits | Note(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Screenwriter | Producer | |||
| 1987 | Goodbye Darling | No | No | Executive | — |
| 1988 | Let's Rage the Gangland | Yes | No | No | Directorial debut |
| Fatal Love | No | No | Executive | — | |
| 1990 | A Moment of Romance | Yes | No | No | — |
| 1991 | Son on the Run | Yes | No | No | — |
| 1992 | What a Hero! | Yes | No | No | — |
| 1993 | The Magic Crane | Yes | No | No | — |
| A Moment of Romance II | Yes | No | No | — | |
| 1994 | Wounded Tracks | Yes | No | No | — |
| 1995 | Happy Hour | Yes | No | No | Cameo Produced by Peter Ho-sun Chan |
| Man Wanted | Yes | No | Yes | — | |
| 1996 | Big Bullet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film |
| They Don't Care About Us | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 1998 | Who Am I? | Yes | No | No | — |
| 1999 | Gen-X Cops | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| 2000 | Gen-Y Cops | Yes | No | Yes | Hong Kong-United States co-production |
| 2001 | Final Romance | No | No | Yes | — |
| 2002 | If U Care... | No | No | Yes | — |
| 2003 | Heroic Duo | Yes | No | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director |
| 2004 | New Police Story | Yes | No | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film |
| 2005 | Divergence | Yes | No | Yes | — |
| 2006 | Rob-B-Hood | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| 2007 | Invisible Target | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| 2008 | Connected | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director |
| 2010 | City Under Siege | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also as an editor |
| 2011 | Shaolin | Yes | No | Yes | — |
| 2013 | The White Storm | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film |
| 2015 | Little Big Master | No | No | Yes | Nominated – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film |
| 2016 | Call of Heroes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| 2017 | Meow | Yes | No | Yes | — |
| 2021 | Raging Fire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Posthumous release Won – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director Won – Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film |
| — | The Trier of Fact | No | No | Yes | Credited as the producer in the pre-production stage |
Television film
- Fist of Fury 精武門 (1995) – TV series, as a director
| Year | Work | Awards | Category | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Big Bullet | 16th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Director | Nominated |
| Best Film | Nominated | |||
| 2004 | Heroic Duo | 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Director | Nominated |
| 2005 | New Police Story | 24th Hong Kong Film Awards | Nominated | |
| Best Film | Nominated | |||
| 25th Golden Rooster Awards | Nominated | |||
| 28th Hundred Flowers Awards | Nominated | |||
| 2009 | Connected | 28th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Director | Nominated |
| 2014 | The White Storm | 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards | Nominated | |
| Best Film | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | Little Big Master | 35th Hong Kong Film Awards | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Raging Fire | 13th Macau International Film Festival | Best Director | Won |
| Best Film | Nominated | |||
| 28th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards | Best Director | Won | ||
| Film of Merit | Won | |||
| Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild Awards | Best Film | Won | ||
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild Awards | Best Recommended Screenplay | Won | ||
| 2022 | 40th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Director | Won | |
| Best Film | Won |
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